Neighborhood Nature 11-18-11

The weather over the last few weeks has been so variable that I’ve been able to wear almost every type of clothing I own on my morning walks around the neighborhood.

Mary Richmond

The weather over the last few weeks has been so variable that I’ve been able to wear almost every type of clothing I own on my morning walks around the neighborhood. I’ve had on my rain gear, my heavy fall jacket and gloves and my flip-flops and short-sleeved shirts, sometimes all within the span of a week. That Old Mother Nature sure has been having a snicker or two at our expense. “What season is it?” one might ask. “Whichever season I feel like today,” she seems to reply. And so my car has a windbreaker, a fleece hat, rubber boots, a heavy sweatshirt, some gloves and my flip-flops piled in the back seat so I’m ready for whatever the day may bring. Gotta love November on the Cape.

You’ve probably noticed that it is much quieter out there these days now that many of our summer breeding birds have flown south. If you live near a roost for crows you may not think it’s so quiet, and in some areas I’ve been noticing really large flocks of crows, especially along the great marsh behind Sandy Neck. We also have a pretty good-sized flock in our neighborhood that keeps the Hyannis cats and hawks on their toes with their constant harassment. We have a young sharp shinned hawk that tries to stay under their radar but it is almost always called out by a sharp-eyed blue jay and then the fun begins. This little guy is half the size of the crows but they keep their distance while making a huge ruckus. We also seem to have a resident young red tailed hawk that seems to be feasting on our overabundance of fat squirrels. It’s a little disconcerting to come across it dining on someone’s suburban front lawn but obviously this bird has adjusted to traffic noise and rambling school children.

This is a great time of year to walk in the woods early in the morning. Just be sure to pick a place hunters aren’t allowed and wear bright colors just in case, but the golden light streaming through the remaining rusty and yellow leaves is well worth it. We walk a lot over at Hathaway’s Pond and it has just been beautiful there with a stunning palette of fall colors against all that clear blue water.

Beach walking in the fall can’t be beat either and as long as you pick a day when the wind isn’t too strong you can walk for miles if you pick the right beach. After recent storms all sorts of interesting birds have been seen close to shore and some pretty interesting things have been washing up on the beaches as well, including the peculiar looking ocean sunfish that also go by the name of Mola molas. Sandy Neck is usually the best place to see one of these huge animals at this time of year. Also keep your eyes out for the strange looking torpedo ray that looks a bit more like an alien than a fish. Search Google to see exactly what these fish look like.

November is a time of transition in nature. It isn’t quite the same as early fall and it isn’t exactly winter yet, either. There are still plenty of berries for the blackbirds and waxwings and there are scads of seeds everywhere for all the sparrows, juncos and other seed-eating birds. Field areas will be best for spotting these birds that are often so well camouflaged you might not even know they are foraging in the grasses until they are spooked and fly up. Watch for indigo buntings and eastern meadowlarks, but remember they are in their winter or transitional plumages already.

Word has come in from all over town about the large numbers of turkeys people are seeing so it probably is not a surprise to hear that wild turkeys seem to have had a banner year. Just don’t tell them what you’re having for dinner next week.

Speaking of next week, here’s to a Happy Thanksgiving to all! Thanks to all of you who take the time to read my column and also to my editors and all the hard-working folks at the Patriot that set up the pages, arrange the art work or photos, and so on. You’re the best!